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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25919869">Queen Insecta Sans Gaster</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oxius14/pseuds/Oxius14'>Oxius14</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>SwapHaven [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Undertale (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Underfell (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Underswap (Undertale), F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi, Other, Underswap Papyrus (Undertale), Underswap Sans (Undertale)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 01:15:30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,884</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25919869</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oxius14/pseuds/Oxius14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Insecta Sans Gaster, an Underswap Sans returns to their home AU after almost two decades. The memories it brings back are less than pleasant at times, but with the support of those they care about, they'll manage to get through it somehow.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Asgore Dreemurr/Sans, Asriel Dreemurr/Sans, Grillby/Sans (Undertale), Muffet/Sans (Undertale), Papyrus &amp; Sans (Undertale), Papyrus/Sans (Undertale), Sans (Undertale)/Other(s), Sans/Sans (Undertale), Sans/Toriel (Undertale), W. D. Gaster/Sans</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>SwapHaven [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1070643</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Homecoming</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sans comes home for the first time in years.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Let me know if you enjoy my story! I'll probably start posting links to this archive on my Tumblr, among other places. if you like Roleplaying, I am the owner of a discord server called SwapHaven. The characters you will read about in this story will most likely end up there, so if you want to join, the server is opened!</p><p>https://discord.gg/svMMjDypxe</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sans slowly stepped up to the house they once had lived in and slowly drank it in. It had been a long while since they had been back home underground. Years, even. Though they didn't really look much different in terms of age, there was a definite change in how they acted, thought, and even dressed. There was one other detail, as well; they were now far more feminine than they once were. Back when she was young, she saw herself as a strong older brother, willing to do as much as possible in order to keep his younger brother safe. It was a very long time before Sans learned that her brother had felt a similar way. She stared at the house before slowly walking up, reaching tentatively for the knob.</p><p>"Hey bro," came a familiar lazy voice, causing her to jump, her magic flaring for a split second before dissipating.</p><p>She huffed, turning toward the other and pouted playfully. "Papyyyy," she whined, "you <span class="u"><strong>know</strong></span> better than to sneak up on a fell! I could have hurt you!" Papyrus hadn't changed from the last time she had seen him. He wore a red-orange jacket, black shorts with white stripes, and light blue slippers. To top it off, he was sucking on a lollipop from Muffet's sweet shop, and was gazing lazily at her. Of course, she knew that it wasn't laziness that made him dress or look at her that way; it was depression. But she had always called him lazy and tried to help him by using jokes and silliness to keep him going. No matter what she tried, however, she could never get his HoPe above that little number 1. At least now she understood why.</p><p>Her brother quietly stepped closer to her, his slippers crunching lightly in the snow. "Sorry," he said with a lazy shrug. He looked down at her form, sinking deeper into the snow than himself. Insecta was wearing a full armor set, slightly crimson in color. There were spikes on the shoulder guards, as well as the gauntlets, and the belt had a red base with golden spikes, and in the center was a golden skull. Underneath the armor, a thin white dress with golden lace was sticking out the bottom. Sans's eyes were still strange to him, as they were no longer their usual blue or white. Instead, they were a shade of red which matched a number of other fells. But to top off the image of his "sister," she had ecto hair and ectoflesh, both of which were that same crimson color. And lastly, there was a golden crown stop her head, as well as a golden insignia of royalty engraved on the armor's chest piece. It was plain to see that Sans worked out, her ecto muscles thick and shapely as well, though it was strange for Papyrus to see that flesh at all. what hadn't seemed to change, however, was her teeth. Papyrus had been told that the King of NavalFell had refused to allow her to file her teeth, knowing how painful it was. It was a relief to at least know that she still had <em>some</em> qualities that were familiar, but it always hurt him to see her anyway. Papyrus rubbed the back of his head, before finally breaking his line of sight with her to look up at the house. "I would ask why you would want to come here, but I guess it's meen much longer for you than it's been for me. I get why you would want to be here." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "How long has it been again?"</p><p>Sans forgot to be upset with Papyrus and followed his line of sight, her eyes slowly showing her age. "Around eighteen years."</p><p>Papy calculated that in his head. "That would make you 41 now?"</p><p>"... Yeah..."</p><p>Papyrus felt a mix of emotions, including rage and sorrow at the knowledge. "... It still feels... Strange to me. I missed too much time." He rubbed his head, with a frustrated sigh. "It's only been a few days since I last saw you, at least, for <em>me</em>. I'm still only 18! You should still be 23! I just.... I wish..." He felt a hand on his chest and looked down at the Queen, who was looking up at him with a kind and gentle look of understanding. </p><p>"It wasn't your fault, remember? I did it to myself," she admitted, hugging him. She honestly had never blamed him.</p><p>"But if I had just <em>told</em> you what it was for- you were older than me even then. I should have <span class="u">trusted</span> you-"</p><p>Insecta put a finger on his teeth, a look of understanding on her face. "Papy, I never <em>asked</em> you. And it was more my fault than yours. Please don't blame yourself; I know you're hurting. I know it's hard for you to even look at me as I am now. You don't have to keep it all in anymore. You're not alone anymore." She placed her hand on his cheek.There was a time when Insecta thought he had been doing far worse than simply leaving out a warning to stay away from a certain machine in their basement. Had she known then how dangerous her curiosity could be, she likely would have stayed away, at least until her brother felt up to talking to her. But no; it was a long time before she truly understood what had happened on that fateful day.</p><p>Papyrus winced when she called him out, but looked at her anyway, listening to her words. "I'm.... I'm sorry," he said softly as he could; a feat that was near impossible for one who spoke in uppercase as he did. Still, Insecta understood, and pulled him close, giving him as gentle a hug she could.</p><p>She sighed softly before letting him go again, carefully taking his fragile hand. She took a breath, then tried the door. It was locked. Papyrus opened his inventory and pulled out a key, then offered it to Insecta. She blushed lightly, having forgotten that they used to lock the door. She took the key, unlocked the door, then pulled her brother into the house with her.</p><p>As they shut the door behind them, Papyrus said, "Welcome home, Sans."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Mistakes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Insecta grows more and more distracted as she remembers the events of the day that lead up to her disappearance, then finally, they both decide to start opening up. about what happened that day.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Let me know if you enjoy my story! I'll probably start posting links to this archive on my Tumblr, among other places. if you like Roleplaying, I am the owner of a discord server called SwapHaven. The characters you will read about in this story will most likely end up there, so if you want to join, the server is opened!</p><p>https://discord.gg/svMMjDypxe</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>"Papy! It's time to wake up!" Sans exclaimed from the upstairs hall, tapping his foot impatiently. He wore his normal cyan and silver battle armor, with a blue bandana around his neck, and tights over his legs, and his eyes glowed their ordinary cyan color. Papyrus was sleeping in again, but Sans knew it wasn't healthy for him to lay around constantly. His depression was bad enough, and he refused to talk about it with anyone, so the least Sans could do was keep him moving, and get him eating regularly.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>When Papyrus didn't answer, Sans puffed at the door and opened it up, walking right in. Papy was, of course, sprawled out in bed, looking rather lazy and comfortable. Sans folded his arms and pouted. The fact that he looked so comfortable meant he was awake. He wondered how much Papyrus had slept; maybe he should have called Mama Muffet to help him sleep better. But no; she was usually busy running her pastry shop, so it probably would have been a no-go. Either way, Papyrus was awake now, and pretending to be asleep so as not to worry him; an action he attempted in vain.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Paaaaapyyyyyy, come ooooooon!" He whined, marching up to the bed and shaking him carefully.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Papyrus wrapped an arm around Sans' chest and pulled him into bed, despite his playful protests, hugging him like a teddy bear. "Papyyyy nooo! It's time to get uuuuup!" Sans complained, making the attempt to wriggle out of his brother's grip.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Papyrus couldn't help his smile as Sans was suddenly wrapped up in a blanket and snuggled close to him. When Sans noticed, he poked his cheekbones with his gloves phalanges. "Ha! I knew you were awake! You can't help but awaken at the sound of my magnificent voice, because I am too cool for your silly naps to ignore! Now get up! Let's <strong>taco</strong>bout what you want for breakfast! I have an <strong>e</strong><strong>ggs</strong>-cellent idea! We should start <strong>bacon</strong> things in the oven! <strong>Orange </strong>you coming?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"NYEH! SANS! WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT THE PUNS!?" Papyrus finally released Sans, only to cover his head with his pillow, which brought a triumphant smile to Sans' face.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You know you enjoy them! Otherwise, you wouldn't smile so much! Now come on! Or do I have to keep punning at you again?" He managed to untangle himself enough from the blanket to put his hands on his hips as he kneeled on the bed.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Papyrus sighed, then sat up, pulling the blanket off of Sans. "Alright, you win! Geeze. Must be nice to enjoy being so <strong>cheesy</strong> all the time," he punned back, unable to stop his own smile.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Sans giggled back, glad to see their banter was helping him. Sans threw the blanket off the rest of the way, then ran to the door. "I'll meet you downstairs! We have a busy day of sentry duty today and we need to make sure we recalibrate all our puzzles!"after that, he ran out of the room, only to find Papyrus on the couch. "Papy! Stop being lazy! There's no time for relaxing on the couch!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Papyrus shrugged, lazily putting a lollipop in his mouth. "I figured you would be a better cook anyway; you know I always burn everything and set things on fire."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Sans couldn't help but shiver at remembering the last time Papyrus made the attempt to cook. Only fire lived there now. "uuuuh- I have a BETTER idea! you can stay there and wait!" Sans decided, rushing to the kitchen and putting his apron on. In all honesty, this peppy behavior could become exhausting at times. It was nice for Sans to be able to relax and cook for a bit.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>After about 30 minutes, Sans came out with two plates of food, which he set on the table. He looked over at their pet rock, huffing. "Is our friend hungry? You must be starving! Here you go!" He pulled out edible sprinkled from his inventory, shaking them on top of the rock. "There you go! Eat up!" Sans smiled at it, dropping it back into his inventory.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He turned back to the couch, where Papyrus lay, looking, once again, as though fast asleep. "PAPY! WAKE UP, YOU LAZYBONES!" Sans yelled, stomping his feet. "Come sit at the table, it's gonna get cold!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Sans marched over to Papyrus and picked him up, taking him back to the table and making him sit down in a chair. Papy seemed unphazed, merely opening one eye when he was being carried, and sitting properly when made to sit down. "Thanks bro," he smiled lazily. "Gravity was increasing on me."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Papy, don't be ridiculous! Gravity only increases with blue magic!" Sans shot back, going back into the kitchen to put up the apron and grab some orange juice for the both of them. Sans came back, only to find Papyrus with an empty plate in front of him. "Wowie! You must really have been hungry!" Sans exclaimed happily. He didn't want to call him out, but in actually, Sans suspected that Papyrus just dropped the food into his inventory for later. He tried not to make the food greasy, because he knew Papyrus hated grease, but sometimes it was still too greasy for his brother. Still, as long as he drank the orange juice, at least he had something other than sweets and honey in his system. He handed Papyrus the glass and watched him drink down the orange juice.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Thanks bro; it was great as always." Sans smiled broadly at Papyrus, hugging him. To be honest, it was more out of worry than anything that Sans hugged him in that moment. Papyrus was five years younger than him, and Sans was barely able to help him with anything. He didn't want Papyrus to fall down like the others had. Er- he didn't want him to "go on vacation," that is. Papyrus stroked his skull gently, then hugged him back.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Sans pulled away and took the dishes to the sink before returning to shovel the meal into his mouth. Damn, he was starving. He didn't know how Papyrus kept this energetic attitude up as a kid; maybe because of all the sugar. Still, Sans would rather do this to help Papyrus perk up more during the day, than to be as energy-less as Papyrus and only make him more depressed as a result.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>After washing the dishes, Sans ran up to Papyrus and grabbed his hand, stars in his eyes as he thought about what sort of puzzles they would come up with that day. "Mweheheh! Time to recalibrate the puzzles! Let's go!" Sans exclaimed, pulling his brother along behind him towards the door.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Papyrus smiled down at Sans. "Alright bro."</em>
</p><p>----------</p><p>As Insecta and Papyrus stepped back into the house, the echoes of her past walked through her mind's eye. She watched the scene unfold from her memory, but more as a third person observer than someone actually *in* the memory. Papyrus on the other hand, was watching her. He placed a hand in her head, the simple action pulling her away from the scene she had just witnessed, allowing her glowing red eyes to tilt up towards her brother.</p><p>"Are you okay?"</p><p>Insecta smiled gently and took her younger sibling's hands in her own. "I'll be fine. It's just... Been a while, you know?' she gently told him, squeezing his hands. She no longer pretended to be so optimistic. In reality, she was actually more of a realist now; she hoped for the best, but prepared for the worst. She felt as though her belief that anyone could change was her hope that it was true. While she believed in that possibility now, she knew now that not <em>everyone</em> was actually <span class="u">willing</span> to change. As a result, she had to prepare for the possibility that she had to stop someone from spreading destruction and pain, by any means necessary. In all honesty, however, killing in order to stop a killer was an oxymoron she usually preferred to avoid for the mere fact that she didn't<strong> like</strong> the idea of killing someone in the first place.</p><p>She sighed, rubbing her temple on one side. Her thoughts were getting a little morbid. "... let's grab just a few things, for now. We can come back for more later."</p><p>Papyrus watched Insecta for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, Sans." Insecta smiled at him, then led the way to their rooms.</p><p>----------</p><p>
  <em>"Papyrus? Paaaapyyyyyyy? Papyrus, are you still with me?" The judge blinked, looking down at his excitable brother as they fiddled with the maze puzzle machine.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Nah, bro, sorry; I was sleeping on my feet," he said with a fake smile and a shrug. "The smell of oranges makes me sleepy."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Paaaapyyyyyyy!" Sans whined at the other, pouting. "I need you to fix thiiiis!" He stopped for a moment, seeming to sweat, before taking a heroic stance. "Of course I, the Sansational Sans, can totally fix this machine! But! I am, testing to make sure *you* know how to do it!" Sans claimed, looking rather proud.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Papyrus grinned, seeing right through him. "OK bro. Let me see if this works." Papyrus leaned forward, rearranging some crossed wires, then closed it and turned it on. The machine made a whirring noise, the floor began to flicker different colors.... then, very suddenly, it made a loud popping noise before the floor ejected... a pile of hotdogs, which rained down around them and disappeared. The tall skeleton just grinned, casually putting a lolipop in his mouth. "Oops."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Sans just stared for a moment, before huffing, puffing his chest out. "How is it working WORSE now!?" They exclaimed, before turning back to the machine and opening it, steam rising from their head as blue magic filled his face. "PAPY! This ISN'T supposed to make FOOD!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"dunno what happened. I guess it's hungry."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"IT'S NOT ALIVE!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Maybe one of the blooks possessed it?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"THEY CAN EAT GHOST FOOD, LIKE A NORMAL GHOST!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Maybe they were curious?" In all honesty,  Papyrus knew Insecta was a bit frustrated, and trying to be serious. But he was just so tense, he couldn't help but try to make him laugh just to ease his tension. It was just a little fun.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>But Sans wasn't having it today.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"PAPYRUS!" they yelled, stomping their foot on the ground as they turned to their younger brother. The judge stopped, his smile disappearing. Sans had tears of frustration in their eyes. "... Papy, please, just fix it. I know you can. I... I need it to work today. I just... have a bad feeling..." Sans looked a little more confused than Papyrus liked him to be.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"... another feeling?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>".... y... yeah."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Papyrus crunched down the lolipop, then placed a hand on his brother's head. "I get it. Don't worry, bro; I'll fix it, okay?" Sans hesitated, then nodded.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Sans had always been sensitive to the timeline resets. No matter what, it was like they could <strong>feel</strong> it happen, even if they didn't understand what it was. But Papyrus knew, because he has actually spent a great deal of time figuring it out. He realized that, because his brother was able to <strong>use</strong> space-time magic, he was also sensitive to shifts in the continuum. Even so, Papyrus never actually knew when a reset happened until his brother mentioned it, or he physically looked at the timeline tracker, or if he started realizing he was having this sense of déjà vu. This time, he didn't have that sense, so it was either that the human had done a true reset, or that it was the first time they came here, and they died or something before they got too far. Either way, he was going to look in his notes as soon as he got the chance, possibly write more down.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>For now, though... he kneeled down and started to repair the damage he had done, until Sans seemed a lot less uneasy. "Let's go recalibrate the rest, okay?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Sans nodded and smiled, taking his hand before dragging him away to another one, once again acting like nothing was wrong. But Papyrus knew Sans better than that; Sans was scared, for some reason. Had it been a bad reset? Or was it just a premonition? Either way, he would find out soon.</em>
</p><p>----------<br/><br/>Insecta was staring at a photo of herself and her brother, portraying herself and her brother in front of their snow-skeletons by a cliffside. She remembered when they first started making snowskellies. It was back when she and her brother had made it to the region of Snowdin. Right away, they had both been amazed by the white powder, and they had played in it for a good long while. At some point, Papyrus had made a snow skeleton of himself, looking super strong, wearing a hero's getout, and had abbs where his stomach would be. insecta had made a snow skeleton of themselves, looking super tall (at least for their size), and just as strong. They probably spent hours on them. When they got hungry, insecta had made a snow igloo for her brother to hide in, and left to go find food. She remembered bringing back a full meal for papyrus, mostly scraps that she had made into something he could actually eat. Papyrus ate that night. Insecta didn't. She didn't think he ever knew that.<br/><br/>She sighed, thinking about the photo in her hands at the moment. She remembered this photo; it had been... a few days before they.... well, before she had "left." It had been a day when her brother had been in a particularly dark place, and it had come on very suddenly. She had encouraged him to come with her to make snow-skellies, just to try to cheer him up. He had smiled at her and agreed, but his heart really hadn't been in it that day. he made just a small pile of snow, then wrote his name on it in honey. It had taking most of his energy just to do that. Insecta, however, made hers as tall and buff-looking as she could, just like the first time they had made them. She didn't know what had happened that had made him so sad, but she didn't really fault him for barely having the energy for it. She had teased him and called him lazy, then said it was okay, because hers could be strong enough for the both of them. Papyrus had hugged her then, and she remembered him crying for a while after. She didn't tell him to stop, or ask why he was so sad. instead, she had told him that she would be there for him, whenever he was ready to talk about it. The sad thing is, he never did.<br/><br/>".... Sans...?"<br/><br/>She blinked, and looked toward the bedroom door. Papyrus had managed to find a few bags for them to collect what they wanted, and gently set a few down near the door. She brightened at him, moving close to show him the framed photo. "Look! Remember this? It feels like it's been way too long since we last made some snow skeletons together! We should make some before we leave for good, don't you think?" Her reddened eyelights were shaped into stars as she gazed up at her tall younger brother.<br/><br/>Despite the attempt to avoid the subject, it was obvious to her by the sad and concerned look on Papy's face that Papyrus was sensing what she was feeling. <br/><br/>"... Yeah, sure, Sans. If you want."<br/><br/>Insecta beamed at him, hugging him for a moment before grabbing a bag and beginning to pack a number of her belongings, including some of her space-themed action figures, a few of the stars on the wall and ceiling, and some worn astrology and bedtime books.<br/><br/>It would be another minute or so of Insecta pretending to be busy, humming softly to herself, until the sound of movement signaled that her brother finally left the room. She paused to look around when he left, before getting up and slowly closing the door. Her face grew more unreadable as she gazed around at her things. Why was she packing? this wasn't really <em>her </em>anymore. All of this belonged to the person she <em>used</em> to be. from the action figures, to the rocket-ship bed, to even the old clothes in the closet. She stepped up to the mirror, her ecto-hair formed as naturally to her as keeping her skeletal shape. She slowly ran her phalanges over the golden crown atop her head, set into her hair as naturally as anything else. it felt strange, seeing her current image reflected in this mirror with her old life draped around the room behind her. The last time she stood in this spot, her magic had been cyan, and she had felt more masculine. One of the more <em>useful</em> natural abilities of skeletons is that they had no set gender, but could <em>choose</em> to be considered one or the other.<br/><br/>It was <em>useful,</em> because when you live in a world like Navalfell, where the magical power of all monsters depends on the survival of every species... well, you needed that sort of advantage, because both you and your partner could bear a child at the same time, if you were both skeletons. Not that that would be <em><strong>ideal</strong></em>, due to the magic needed to <span class="u"><em>sustain</em></span> the pregnancy, but it was useful nonetheless. she closed her eyes and sighed. she had already had two children. She almost had three, but-<br/><br/>She turned away from the mirror, not wanting to think about that. it was still painful, even if it wasn't a fresh wound. the twin of one of her children had been lost while she was still pregnant. they never really knew why, but they had assumed that the one that had survived had overpowered the other somehow, absorbing their magic. there had been nothing they could do except watch it happen over the weeks, until her flesh would no longer be transparent. it had devastated her when she had only birthed the one child, and she had a hard time recovering. she still hadn't recovered, and her children were both adults now. she wanted more children, but nothing could stop her from feeling that pain of loss every time she tried, and because intent was part of creating a child, and her fear kept that intent at bay, she had never been able to have another.<br/><br/>She blinked, before rubbing her face. It made her smile sadly to realize she no longer cried at the thought of losing them. she wondered idly if they had been a boy or a girl? she would have loved a boy. she had two beautiful girls, sure of who they are, what they wanted, and how they wanted to live their lives. neither of them had any doubt, though, her first born, Luca, who she had sired, not birthed, tended to hang out with the sentient kelp that roamed the waters of Navalfell. She even chose to marry him, which was a surprise to her, seeing as the plant had no soul. it was a wonder how <em>they</em> had had so many children. How would that even work? Was it magic? but no, the kelp was the remnants of a <strong>human</strong>, which is what made this so strange to her.</p><p>No matter how they had actually committed the act, the fact remained that they had several children, all the same number of months apart in age, all human-skeleton hybrids. Having grandchildren already felt rather strange to her, but she was happy to spoil them in place of any of her own. And, seeing as skeletons were one of a few species of monsters that could live hundreds of years, she would be able to dote on them for years to come, so long as she wasn't killed before her time.</p><p>She blinked at the knock on the door, and she teleported over to the closet, rushing to toss a few things out of it before the door opened, and she held up her old football shirt up to her chest, pretending to have been debating on what clothes she should keep.</p><p>"Mmmm.... I'm probably not going to need this anymore, am I...?"</p><p>"... Sans, I... I wanted to...." Papyrus hesitated, looking uncertain as he seemed to think.</p><p>Insecta stopped what she was doing, a sudden pang of guilt running through her as she realized Papyrus really needed to talk about what happened a lot more than she did. It was easy for them both to avoid talking about what was bothering them, and Insecta was used to hiding things from most people at this point.</p><p>But Papyrus wasn't most people.</p><p>Insecta furrowed her bone-brow, sighing softly as she, quite literally, dropped what she was doing in order to move to Papyrus, taking his hands and gently sitting the now much younger skeleton down on the bed, joining him a moment later.</p><p>"I'm sorry, Papyrus," Insecta said gently, causing a surprised and confused expression to cross her brother's features.</p><p>"... why are <strong><em>you </em></strong>sorry...?"</p><p>Insecta sighed and looked down. "... to be honest, I was trying to push us past this. I know how hard it was for you when I disappeared, and I know that while you were gone, it was difficult for me to move on. And I also know that when you realized how long it had been, you almost felt like giving up. I don't <em>want</em> to dwell on the past. I don't <em>like </em>talking about what was, or what could have been. At least, not anymore." She would look back up at Papyrus, a gentleness in her eyes that clashed with the sharp features of her outfit. "... but I can't force you to mature like I have all at once. I have come to terms with my past. But for you, it's still fresh, and you're only 18, much too young to have the maturity to accept and move past it in the same way. You have every right to want to talk about it, and I shouldn't be avoiding it, because, right now, after only just getting you back...?" She would stroke her younger brother's cheek, affectionate intent strong in the simple action, causing the Judge to lean into that feel of her hand. "... *you* are far more important than I am." She smiled and clicked his hand, a gentle spark of magic passing between them. "We're alone, right now. No one will bother us for a while. Now is probably the best time to talk about what happened to me, if you really want to."</p><p>Papyrus gazed down at the small Queen, his eyes traveling over each feature once again, from her changed magic, to her garb, to the subtle, less obvious scars over her skeletal structure, hidden to anyone who didn't know where to look. Her neck, for example. It was covered up by a red scarf, but there was an unmistakable charring to her neckbones that went so deep that it hasn't faded. Even after thirteen years, at least, the blackened bone had not entirely healed, despite the fact that damage like that on a monster, any monster, was not supposed to be permanant. Monsters could eventually remove their scars, unlike humans, due to the magic needed to maintain their bodies, as opposed to a human being more physical matter than magic.</p><p>Papyrus sighed after a moment. "Let's just... start by talking through the day you disappeared."</p><p>Insecta gently nodded, a sad smile crossing her features.</p><p>----------</p><p>
  <em>Sans and papyrus had finished recalibration of the puzzles for the day, and had moved on to something more useful, such as sentry duty.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Papyrus was leaning back at the guard station, knowing that the kid they were dealing with had been mostly peaceful, according to his notes. The kid had aborted the worst timeline when they had gone up to face Sans, and had never tried to hurt anyone since. They had had at least two more timelines since then, but it looked as though this particular human wasn't as determined to keep resetting as in most timelines. This kid also seemed to want nothing more than to keep interacting with them as friends, giving them no kill runs after the other. They may have made bad choices, but when they realized the mistake, they went back to being good. He wasn't too bothered, as a result; if this kid wanted to keep going one or two more times, then he had no real issues with that. It was the same routine, just like before. A few jokes, a few meals, a few laughs, the kid will hopefully be satisfied with that, he thought as he drifted off.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Sans began to check the puzzles again, in the meantime, feeling uneasy. He didn't know why, but there had been a lot of times when he could *feel* something had happened with time and space. He had dreams of things that may have caused it, but... they were only dreams, right? Still, the unease he felt was palatable. He sighed, starting to walk to the next puzzle.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"HOI!!! SAAAAAAAAANEEEEEEESSSS!!!!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The telltale sign a talking doll came to visit was the ridiculousness of the tone. Sans smiled and turned, the vibrating doll covered in snow, as though they had popped out of the ground. Sans came closer and kneeled down nearby, but they knew not to touch them, as cute as they looked and as snowy as their body was, they didn't like being touched, and Sans respected that. There were some unsettling emotions that came with being around the doll, but Sans pushed through them, trying to be ever optimistic, and wanting to give them a chance, because everyone deserved a chance to be a good person, no matter what they had done or didn't do.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Hello, Temmie! How are you today?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"TEMMIE iz fine!  have u talked tu ur brother yet?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Sans tilted his head. "Um, no, why do I need to talk to him?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"He haz b3en very sad lately, hazn't h3?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Sans felt something tighten in his chest. "Um... y-yeah, he has. I'm trying to give him some space. I feel like he'll talk to me when he's ready."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Funny man iz asleep again! he went tu da secret roomz den fell asleepz at da guard station!!!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Sans looked uneasy. The secret room? Was that the basement? Did he fall asleep because something upset  him down there, or...?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"O! tEMMIE haz tu go! but tem hope u can help funny man!" With that, they slowly vibrated into the snow again, disappearing.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Sans stared for a few moments at the place where Temmie had disappeared, an uneasy feeling welling up inside him. Papyrus... without another thought, sans turned back toward the ruins and ran, building their magic for a moment before they teleported without another thought.</em>
</p><p>----------</p><p>Papyrus looked shocked, and Insecta stopped for a moment, smiling sadly.</p><p>"That <strong><em>damn doll</em></strong> gave you the idea!?"</p><p>Insecta nodded, rumbling softly in order to keep Papyrus calm as possible. "I didn't realize they had manipulated me until later, but by then, it was too late."</p><p>The silent rage in her brother was causing his soul to glow with a yellowing color.</p><p>"Hey." Insecta cupped her brother's cheek, bringing his focus back to where she needed it to be. "I doubt he knew what would happen. Besides, it's in the past, and it led me to my family. I wouldn't change that for anything."</p><p>The look on her younger brother's face was upsetting, but after a moment, he closed his eyes and placed his forehead on hers, sighing as he tried to let go of how he was feeling in that moment. After a few seconds, his soul returned to it's natural white. "... I'm sorry," he said softly.</p><p>"It's okay, Papyrus. You don't have to be sorry. And like I said, you don't have to feel guilty. It wasn't your fault."</p><p>Papyrus sighed. "It's one thing to say that, and another thing entirely to actually *feel* that way. The fact remains, had I been honest with you, you wouldn't have taken such a big risk. I should have realized that; you were always the risk-taker." </p><p>Insecta snorted in amusement, causing a questioning look to form on her brother's face. "We're <strong>both</strong> risk-takers, silly. On a single hope, I am always willing to put the lives of others before my own, willing to do anything to protect my friends and family. <strong>You</strong> were always willing to give people a chance to change, no matter what you had seen them do. Just like you got your bravery and capacity for love from being raised by me, <em>I</em> got my patience and morals from raising *you*. she smiled gently at him, her hands sliding down to hold her brother's gently. "You took a risk, brave enough to try to protect me from things that I didn't have a full grasp over. I took a risk, patient enough to try to let you talk to me on your own, despite knowing that you were close to falling down. But it wasn't <em>you</em> who chose to go against what they believed in and trusted in that day. <strong><span class="u"><em>I</em></span></strong> was the one who chose to break the trust we had built."<br/><br/>----------<br/><br/><em>"...rus. Papyrus! PAPYRUS!"<br/><br/>The lanky skeleton snorted awake, blinking in confusion, feeling a tug on his hoodie. "Mmm- Sans...?" The comedian huffed and sat up, irritated at the unexpected action of his brother. His notes hadn't said anything about Sans interrupting his nap today. Was this new, or had he just forgotten to write it in? He yawned, blinking the exhaustion out of his eyes as he looked down, only to feel a cold chill run through him at the sight of tears in his brothers eyes, despite the relief on his face. This was definitely new; he would have written down something about this, just by a glance at the liquid magic staining his brother's cheekbones. "Woah, sans, what happened? Are you okay? Did someone hurt you?"  The taller skeleton pulled Sans into his lap, gently wiping the tears from his face.<br/><br/>Sans immediately began to hug papyrus the moment he was in his brother's lap, an action mirrored by Papyrus. "I.... I thought..." Sans squeezed the other, his face burying into his chest. "I thought you were going to fall down..." He said softly, sniffling into the red hoodie.<br/><br/>Papyrus looked shocked for a moment, then his eyes softened. "Heey, hey, sans, I would never fall down. I'm way too determined for that, you know that." He would lift Sans' face  to his own and clink his forehead. "I promise, I'll never leave you behind. You're the only reason I can keep going. I'd never leave you behind. Even if you leave me, I'll always come to find you." <br/><br/>Sans would shake his head vigorously. "No...." He would sniffle, wiping the last of his tears from his face. "I would never leave you behind, either, Paps. You're too important to me."<br/><br/>Papyrus would smile warmly, and the two of them would just hug for a while, neither one wanting to break the silence.<br/><br/>Sans continued to hug Papyrus for a while, content at first with staying that way, but... He furrowed his brow, catching sight of ... Temmie? But then he blinked, and they were gone. Sans only grew more uncomfortable from that point. Sans sighed after a few more minutes, then pulled out of the hug, looking at the ground, the actions causing his brother to look down at him with gentle concern. "... Papyrus... I... I really want to talk to you. Would you be willing to talk after work? It's... more of a private conversation."<br/><br/>Papyrus tilted his head, slight confusion on his face, but he nodded anyway. "Sure, Bro. whatever you need. maybe we could watch a movie after?"<br/><br/>Sans turned his face up at his brother, giving him a tentative smile. "Yes. I think I would like that." He reached up a little to give Papyrus a clink on the cheek before standing again and going back to make his rounds.<br/><br/>Papyrus watched him walk off, waiting until he was out of sight before standing. "I'll take a shortcut." He took a few steps into the woods, the world gently rippling in front of him as he focused on all his love. The air folded around him, and the other side unfolded into his basement. He moved closer to the machine in his basement, a prototype of his portal idea. it was a little too dangerous in this form, but he had long since given up on trying to make a safer model. what was the point if this world kept repeating itself, after all? He reached past the machine, pulling open a false wall and reaching inside, only to pull out a handful of tubes, each with a strip of technology attached to the side. The devices were crude, simple, but effective. they protected his notes from the resets. Perhaps one day he could find the willpower to make one that works for a person, not just small objects. Objects were easy. People, however, were more complicated. He would need a stronger power source for it to work on an entire person.<br/><br/>He sighed and pulled out every paper from the tubes. There were notes from the resets, blueprints, ideas, and even a few trinkets he had fiddled with attached to more blueprints. His focus, however, was on the notes he had. His brow furrowed, he skimmed until he got to the correct section, then carefully read through them for the second time that day. When he had finished, which didn't take long, he paused for a moment, biting his thumb briefly in thought, then began to write a new note.<br/><br/><span class="u"><strong>After Seventh Human Fell, Timeline</strong></span><span class="u"><strong> 5, day 1...</strong></span></em><br/><br/><em>----------</em><br/><br/>Insecta puffed up. "There's a false WALL down there!? UGH! Why didn't I KNOW that?" She exclaimed, pouting in a very similar manner she used to, causing her brother to start laughing in surprise. After a moment, Insecta smiled, too.<br/><br/>"Yeah, sorry. I left most of my notes there, but there may be more. I haven't looked at them again yet." he hesitated, his smile fading a little. "I'm... going to keep them there, just in case. I know that's not something exactly ideal, for someone who should start looking to the future now that there are no resets, but..." he seemed to catch himself, and Insecta gave him a knowing look before taking his hand again and gently squeezing. "I understand. It's perfectly fine, Papyrus. You don't have to say it. We can just take it one day at a time."</p><p>Papyrus smiled, squeezing her hand. "... let's keep going," he suggested, causing Insecta to nod in agreement. </p>
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